ST. LOUIS — Shohei Ohtani sliced the primary pitch of Sunday’s collection finale between the Dodgers and Cardinals to the hole in left-center discipline and cruised into second base with a simple stand-up double. He remained there for the subsequent three hitters, as Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman smashed line drives for outs, adopted by a pointy grounder to 3rd by Teoscar Hernández.
These three at-bats pushed the Dodgers to a mere 1-for-28 with runners in scoring place to start out their sole collection in St. Louis this season, however Dave Roberts mentioned he didn’t let any concern that the unhealthy luck was again creep into his thought course of.
“I don’t assume that was there,” the supervisor mentioned after his staff’s 7-3 victory on Sunday afternoon. “There was a story on the market for a bit of bit, however you already know, it’s baseball, and so our guys sort of take it in stride. And I believed we had been fairly good in the present day with runners in scoring place.”
Los Angeles was 3-for-14 in these conditions on Sunday, doing sufficient to make sure that they prevented what would have been simply their second time swept in 2025. The breakthrough got here with Tommy Edman’s second-inning single, which plated Max Muncy, and the breakout got here one batter later, when Hyeseong Kim slashed a two-run triple to the wall in proper discipline.
Edman would add the third RISP hit for the Dodgers with an RBI double within the fourth, and drove in his third run of the sport within the eighth through sacrifice fly.
“We knew it was gonna occur finally,” Edman mentioned. “Simply sort of a type of stretches the place we didn’t get hits, hits didn’t fall, and we knew they had been going to fall finally.”
Mookie Betts supplied late-inning insurance coverage with a solo homer, his ninth of the season and first since hitting two towards the Diamondbacks on Could 19. Betts delivered three hits in every of the primary two video games of the collection, however none of these six got here with both an RBI or a run scored.
That lack of breakthrough from Betts, in addition to the remainder of the lineup, got here with “frustration,” as Roberts mentioned following Saturday’s loss, however with the boldness earned by lengthy and productive careers for almost the entire Dodgers’ regulars. Edman echoed that very same confidence.
“I believe we’ve received a bunch of fellows which were enjoying the sport for thus lengthy that we don’t attempt to press or something like that once we’ve had a pair [tough] video games,” he defined. “We’ve simply received quite a lot of skilled hitters, and you already know the hits are going to fall finally if we simply maintain the method.”
Edman additionally expressed satisfaction within the Dodgers’ capability to present run assist to Clayton Kershaw, who pitched maybe his greatest sport to this point this season. Kershaw bounced again from a tough final outing to supply the Dodgers with a season-high seven strikeouts over 5 innings of one-run ball, with three of these strikeouts coming towards the highest three hitters within the St. Louis order.
“Some issues that I’d like to scrub up general,” Kershaw assessed, “however for essentially the most half, I believe there have been some higher throws in the present day.”
As a result of the Dodgers had been in a position to shake off their RISP woes, he had the benefit of having the ability to pitch with the wind of a lead at his again. Even in his 18th Main League season, the legendary lefty nonetheless felt the advantage of leaning on a lead as he navigated a Cardinals lineup which did simply sufficient to squeeze out wins within the first two video games of the collection.
Added Kershaw, “Guys get the lead, you need to attempt to maintain it, so it shouldn’t change something you’re doing. Simply maintain attacking. However, clearly, all the time feels good to get runs early.”
Michael Kopech, who was activated from the injured checklist on Saturday, made his season debut for the Dodgers within the backside of the ninth inning. He allowed a leadoff single however retired the subsequent three hitters — once more, St. Louis’ high three — so as, together with a strikeout.
Their temporary journey to the midwest concluded, the Dodgers will journey again to Southern California for his or her first matchup of 2025 with the Padres — and simply their fourth divisional collection general. The matchup of the highest two groups within the NL West standings comes with the Dodgers executing as properly on offense as they’ve at any time over the past week.
“You undoubtedly need to win,” Kershaw mentioned. “I believe this win is necessary all the way in which round. Bullpen picked me up, guys are swinging the bats properly. Simply sort of a superb, strong staff win, which is I believe what we wanted headed into San Diego.”
